World02
Ageing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habit
<p>Sewage samples and crime statistics paint a picture of established users taking more cocaine, more often</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/24/cocaine-linked-crimes-on-the-rise-in-britain-as-consumption-surges">Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges</a></p></li></ul><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/oct/23/how-cocaine-conquered-the-uk-inside-britains-pubs-festivals-and-workplaces-the-drug-has-become-an-everyday-habit">Pubs, festivals and workplaces: how cocaine has become an everyday habit</a></p></li></ul><p>From pub toilets and private parties to football terraces and far-right marches, cocaine has become a familiar presence across modern Britain. Deaths linked to the drug have risen to record levels, while its supply supports a multibillion-pound criminal industry.</p><p>But who is using the drug, and how has the picture changed? The figures do not necessarily show millions of new users, but highlight an established market in which some people take more cocaine, more often – and face greater harm as they grow older.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/25/deaths-cocaine-crime-survey-england-wales">Continue reading...</a>
GB Oct 25, 2026The Guardian World World03
Zadie Smith tells Dua Lipa inequality has made culture clashes feel ‘existential’
<p>Novelist says demise of Britain’s ‘incredible’ welfare system and housing struggles have led to deeper divisions</p><p>The novelist Zadie Smith has said that inequality has made culture clashes feel “existential”, adding that it has become “natural to look to your left and think ‘who the fuck are you?’”</p><p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/dua-lipa">Dua Lipa</a> as part of the Southbank Centre’s London literature festival, Smith argued that the demise of Britain’s “incredible, historic” welfare system has led to greater divisions.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/25/zadie-smith-tells-dua-lipa-inequality-has-made-culture-clashes-feel-existential">Continue reading...</a>
GB Oct 25, 2026The Guardian World World04
Elections cannot produce change in Israel
Political change cannot come from within Israeli society. It can only come from the outside.
QA Oct 25, 2026Al Jazeera English